Swipe up, which used to be the way Instagram users could link out to external webpages from Stories, has been replaced! Enter Instagram Link stickers! This new feature allows users to post URL hyperlinks in their Stories by way of a sticker. Link stickers used to be limited to verified accounts and users with large followers, but Instagram recently announced any account owner can now use the feature.
Swipe Up vs. Link Stickers
The purpose of both of these is for account owners to redirect their followers to an external resource, but how account owners can post the links and the way a user gets to the external URL is different. With Swipe Up, followers simply and literally swiped up on a Story to get the external site. With Link stickers, account owners place a sticker in the Story and followers simply click on the link to be redirected. This is a more straightforward approach and a better user experience.
What Link Stickers Are Good For
Instagram is all about encouraging its users to share and inspire their community. And that’s what Link stickers will allow users to do—share resources and educate their community on things that matter the most to them. While Link stickers were previously limited to verified accounts and those of a certain size, Instagram realized that all of its users should be able to share info they deem relevant. And so, now everyone can use Link stickers to share the things that matter most to them. This is just one way Instagram is supporting all of its users to reach more followers, encourage their community, and grow their account.
Steps to Add Links to Your Stories
This is just like adding any other sticker to a Story.
1. Create a Story.
2. In the top navigation bar, select the sticker tool.
3. Select the “Link” sticker.
4. Type in the URL you want linked.
5. Select “Done” to insert the sticker in your Story.
6. Resize and position the sticker to fit your Story. You can further customize by tapping the sticker to cycle through appearance options.
When someone selects the sticker, they’ll be redirected to the URL you inserted. For now, Instagram says it’s not exactly clear what someone will see when they select your sticker, but they are working on customizations to make that happen.
Sharing Link Function Equal New Opportunities
There’s no shortage of topics on Instagram. From the outrageous to the commonplace, from the activist to the entertainer—no matter your niche, Instagram wants you to inspire and educate your community.
Here’s what Instagram said about opening Link sharing to everyone:
“Over the years, businesses, creators and change-makers have shown how sharing resources and information can inspire their communities. From organizing and educating around equity, social justice and mental well-being to showcasing new product drops to customers, link sharing is helpful in many ways — so now we're giving access to everyone.”
What this means is that those who use Instagram for business and marketing purposes will be able to reach more people, expand their followers and audience. Product sales should increase, which means more profits.
Aspiring influencers can also increase their reach to gain more followers. More followers means more businesses will reach out to you to showcase their product on your account which in turn can mean more revenue for you.
All in all, it’s a win-win: Instagram’s mission of spreading good throughout the world through equity, expression, and enablement can be helped by more account owners using Link sharing, and account owners get the benefit of helping this mission with an added bonus of more followers and/or revenue.
Instagram User Safety and Platform Integrity
Instagram’s Community Guidelines make it clear that hate speech and misinformation are not allowed. They are always monitoring for content that is harmful, and so the new Link stickers are no exception to the rule. Therefore, Instagram will take away Link sticker privileges to any account, regardless of its size, that is repeatedly flagged for sharing things like hate speech and/or misinformation. We highly recommend you stay up to date on Instagram’s Community Guidelines to keep your account safe and free.
Start Using Link Stickers Today
Link stickers are a great way to grow your account and increase your influence. Your followers look to you as a source of information or entertainment. Putting Link stickers to use is a great way to give them what they want. Start using Link stickers today!